This invention relates to vises or clamping devices used to hold a workpiece and/or a tool. The invention more particularly concerns a multi-function vise assembly adapted to perform a variety of clamping functions in a variety of applications.
Vises and similar clamping devices are of course very well known. Vises have evolved from the hard-mounted industrial vise used in a machine shop to demountable vises used in the home work shop. As the home “do-it-yourselfer” has become more prevalent, so too has the need for vises that can clamp a variety of workpieces in a variety of orientations. As a result, vises have been developed that can be clamped to the edge of a work bench, that are capable of variable two and three-dimensional angular orientations, and that incorporate clamping components.
There remains a need for a truly universal vise assembly that can be configured to clamp a variety of workpieces or tools in a wide range of orientations. This vise apparatus would also be capable of mounting in a number of ways, whether edge mounted or surface mounted.